With the trend in the building industry in large cities toward high-rise buildings, the need arises for a hardwood floor covering which can be laid on concrete floors with an adhesive in the manner in which conventional resilient floor coverings are installed, such as vinyl tile or linoleum. Floor coverings on concrete follow the surface of the underlying concrete, which must therefore be troweled smooth. It must also be dry. To be a satisfactory floor covering, it must not be thicker than other floor coverings, hence, not thicker than 3/16-inch. A major purpose of the present invention is to produce a thin hardwood floor covering suitable for covering concrete floors in high-rise buildings.
Conventional strip flooring on concrete requires nailing strips or sleepers embedded in the concrete to which the flooring can be nailed. The flooring may also be nailed to a subflooring, such as plywood, which in turn is nailed to embedded wood members. In the form of plywood blocks, the flooring is sometimes laid on concrete with an asphaltic mastic, which yields slowly when subjected to stress.